To foil coronavirus, officials say to keep Dallas parties to 50 guests or less

In one of the most significant steps since the coronavirus emerged, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a recommendation on March 15 that any public gatherings must be limited to 50 people or less, for the next eight weeks.

If travelers attend these events, they could spread COVID-19 to new communities. The CDC is trying to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread to communities already affected.

These can be events not just planned by organizations and communities but also by individuals. We must all heed their advice.

Their recommendation is that any event in the next 8 weeks with 50 people or more should be canceled or postponed. Many organizations have done this already.

Any event, regardless of size, should only be continued if they follow guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, with techniques such as hand hygiene and social distancing.

This recommendation does not apply to organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businesses.

At a March 16 press conference, President Donald Trump shrunk the number even smaller, advising people not to gather in groups of more than 10, and suggested that the fight against the outbreak could last until July or August.